Although Li Ning's bold words left a deep impression on the people around him, he did not do anything obvious in the following days.
The only difference was that a lot more Song Dynasty paper was sent to him than usual.
However, neither Su Yan nor Lu Xiaqing could figure out what he was going to do.
However, the military information that came out later gave them no time to think about it.
As Li Ning expected, many cities in the Ionian region to which Ephesus belonged had surrendered to Alexander.
Alexander's democratic political storm clearly won the favor of these cities.
So he sent Parmenio with 5,000 infantry and 200 cavalry to Caria to surrender. Antimachus, the brother of the adjutant Lysimachus, also went with a force of equal size to relieve other Ionian and Aeolian cities that were under Persian tyranny.
The final count was that 24 cities surrendered to Alexander.
Alexander and his men promoted their democratic policies in these cities and exempted them from the heavy taxes brought by Persian tyranny, requiring only a small tribute.
Such favorable conditions are naturally popular with the people.
But one city remained unmoved.
It is Miletus.
It was not that Miletus did not want to surrender.
Its commander, Hegistratus, had long since written a letter asking for surrender.
But the approach of the Persian fleet changed the Greek's mind.
He became determined to hold Miletus for Darius III.
This angered Alexander.
He held a sacrifice at the restored Temple of Artemis, and then asked the entire army to dress in costumes and parade in front of the temple to show respect, and then marched to Miletus in a mighty manner.
Coincidentally, Li Ning was also on his way to Miletus at this time.
Su Yan once asked him why he went to Miletus.
He said: "According to the records of ancient Greek scholars, Alexander will encounter a little trouble in Miletus. So we are going to provide support and discuss the obligations of allies."
Lu Xiaqing on the side was shocked: "There is still a record? How could it be possible?"
Li Ning explained: "This happened 1,300 years ago, and of course there will be records."
"Wouldn't it be possible to anticipate the enemy's opportunities?"
"That's right." Li Ning smiled, "But if you want to speculate, you have to help him to prevent him from capsizing."
No one could understand this because Li Ning did not say the most crucial sentence: "It also prevents his behavior from being inconsistent with the records."
Su Yan and Lu Xiaqing, who have never read time travel stories, don't know how powerful the butterfly effect is. I don’t know how limited historical speculation is in the face of absolute strength.
They are now like junior time travellers, they only see the huge benefits of predicting the enemy's opportunities.
However, these benefits are indeed quite attractive.
The difficulties Alexander encountered here alone made their speculation very precious.
As for Alexander's troubles, there are mainly the following aspects.
One: the hearts of the people of Miletus are available.
Because they were not oppressed by the Persians. When the latter conquered here, Miletus was already a prosperous commercial city.
The money-grubbing Persians naturally wanted to take advantage of the business atmosphere here, so they pursued a loose policy—not only retaining the original government, but also granting it a large number of privileges.
From then on, they would surely worry that Alexander's arrival would affect their privileges.
Second: The Persian fleet had four hundred ships, and most of their sailors were Phoenicians who were good at sailing, and their combatants were composed of Greek mercenaries. The fighting ability is extraordinary.
Macedonia is an inland barbarian tribe and has never been good at water warfare.
The loyalty of sailors recruited from other city-states such as Athens could not be guaranteed.
Therefore, the Persian fleet has an absolute advantage on the water.
The city of Miletus is exactly a coastal commercial port.
Fortunately, both Alexander and Li Ning appeared outside Miletus before the Persian fleet arrived.
But the two camped separately, and Li Ning only sent Alexander part of the supplies, plus a letter.
Interestingly, Miletus also sent a letter to Alexander. The messenger who sent the letter even put forward the conditions for peace.
"Miletus could serve as a neutral city while opening a port and trade to Persia and Greece."
This statement angered Alexander and made Li Ning laugh so hard after learning the news.
The news was brought by Amyntas.
"My brother, why are you laughing?" he asked.
"Do those people think they are a rare commodity? They don't think about who they are. In front of Persia, in front of Greece, and even in front of the destroyed Thebes, they are a place that is worse than anything."
"Well...Thebes may not be able to compare with it."
Harpalas, who came with Amyntas, reminded him softly, but Li Ning didn't even hear it.
He took out a pen and paper, drew a sketch, and then pointed to the island of Ladi opposite Miletus and said: "What is the name of our new fleet commander, Nyakas, right? If we can do it as soon as possible, If they occupy this place, and then use their warships to block the narrow part of the Miletus harbor, they can successfully cover the army and attack the city without being threatened by the Persian fleet. I think the brave phalanx infantry does not need them to support it for too long . Just one more day is enough!”
Harpalas stood up immediately, realizing that this was a brilliant plan.
So he immediately set out to return to Alexander's camp.
Li Ning sat back leisurely and asked Amintas: "How did the king reply to the messenger?"
Amyntas was stunned for a moment before he remembered what he had just said.
"The king said he came here to conquer all of Asia, not half of it."
Li Ning laughed loudly and added the knife smoothly: "Even if it's half, it doesn't include Miletus."
Amyntas also smiled heartily and said: "The king doesn't have that much hatred towards them."
"Then they'd better be wiser to avoid hatred!"
Li Ning's sinister tone almost frightened Amintas.
However, Amyntas is also battle-hardened, and this aura cannot shake his mind.
Moreover, he also had other things to talk about when he came this time.
So he changed the subject and said, "Do you still have the wine you sent last time?"
The news that Harpalas brought back made Alexander overjoyed.
He suddenly felt that Li Ning might be very important.
Because his strategy is almost exactly the same as his own.
The only difference was that Alexander knew better that his fleet was no match for the Persians. Therefore, they blocked the port not to prevent enemy reinforcements, but to prevent the enemies in the city from escaping to the sea.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
The important thing is should such a deputy really be placed only in the rear?
The next day, Alexander came to Li Ning's camp in person and told him the story of what had happened before.
"Parmenio said that he saw an eagle landing on the sea and believed that it was a good omen for victory in the naval battle. Many generals also believed that a battle with the Persian fleet should be fought."
"My King is the only one who doesn't think so, right?"
"That's right, I'm not that stupid."
Alexander laughed.
But Li Ning said: "You are a kind and just person. If you are a shameless person, I will let the Athenian sailors and the Persians fight to the death. Anyway, it will not affect the outcome of the land war."
Alexander was startled: "Is that what they mean?"
"Not necessarily. You just made the guesswork of a despicable person like me."
Alexander didn't think so. He immediately stood up and was about to walk out, then stopped and said, "I later insisted that the eagle landed on land."
"So the land battle must be won, right?"
"certainly!"
Alexander did not expect such a result, but he still believed that his judgment was right.
The role of the fleet in war is indeed far less than that of the army.
After watching the king leave, Su Yan, Lu Xiaqing, and the group of petty officials began to point fingers behind his back.
"Is this the God of War that sir mentioned?"
"It doesn't look like much."
"You know nothing. In ancient times, sage kings have shared joys and sorrows with their soldiers. I heard people say that he usually eats very simple food, not as good as his generals."
"Really? No wonder Sir admires him so much and the court values him so much."
"That's right. It's okay that we are allies now. If we fall out one day, gentlemen, will you stretch your neck to be hacked, or will you stretch your neck to chop someone?"
"Then you still need to ask? The Kingdom of Ma is certainly powerful, but I, Emperor Song, are not just for a living."
"Pull them down, Yanyun Sixteen Provinces are still in the hands of the Liao people."
"Ahem." Li Ning couldn't bear it anymore. The Liao Kingdom was the biggest concern for him and many people.
If light curtain incidents occur frequently, Dangxiang and Tubo may become serious troubles, not to mention the Khitan people who essentially divided the north and the south with the Imperial Song Dynasty.
But this kind of worry is not easy to express.
Therefore, when Lu Xiaqing looked at him cautiously, he immediately put on a look that couldn't hold back a smile and muttered two words briskly and quickly.
"Equestria—ah ha ha ha! This abbreviation is well used!"
A young man came up and asked, "Did the students make a mistake?"
"No, it's not your fault. It's just not rigorous. Germany, France, and England all still use abbreviations. What's wrong with that? It's just that there are too many countries starting with the word 'horse'."
The scholar let out a sigh of relief, as if he had escaped some serious punishment.
Li Ning smiled slightly. It seemed that someone already valued what he knew.
But he immediately covered his expression with tea, and then whispered: "Xuanfu."
Su Yan responded: "The students are here."
"Write a letter to Mr. Cao Si for me. Ask him to prepare the fleet and prepare to come to the light curtain. Still the old rule, use small ones."
"Here!"
Lu Xiaqing asked curiously: "Why do you only use small boats, sir?"
A scholar chuckled: "No need to ask. The water in the Ge River is too shallow. Wouldn't a big boat run aground?"
Li Ning laughed again: "Ge River? Granikas River, hahaha, this abbreviation is a good one!"
The scholars saw that he was in a good mood, so they wanted to ask a few more questions.
So someone asked again: "Sir, why do we also need to organize a fleet?"
"Nothing else. The King of Horses' fleet is going to be disbanded. Countless sailors are going to lose their jobs. We just..."
"Sir, you still value your talents so much!"
"That is!"
"But sir. How did you know that the king's fleet was about to disband."
"I know." A child emerged from nowhere and said with a boy's unique desire for expression: "The King of Horses does not admit the existence of auspicious omens in naval battles. He insists that the eagle fell on the ground. So, He believed more in the Army than in the Navy.”
"That's right." Li Ning responded, then glared at the child fiercely, "How did you get in?"
The child was not afraid and introduced himself: "Zhang Kai, the boy, is from Pucheng, Jianzhou. My father, Zhang Fang, serves in the third squadron and is now in the army."
Li Ning suppressed his excitement and stepped forward to inquire in detail. But I heard the child explain the twists and turns in an orderly manner.
It turned out that Zhang Kai's grandfather, Zhang Fang, unfortunately died of illness while on a mission to the Liao Kingdom.
As a rule, ministers who are ill or die will favor their descendants as officials, let alone die on the way to the Liao Kingdom.
As the saying goes, there is no small matter in diplomacy, so Zhang Fang got an official status of serving in the third shift.
However, he had to return to his hometown for three years of mourning before he could go to Beijing to hand over his family certificate, which probably meant detailing the status of his ancestors for three generations, and then he could wait for dispatch.
In the original history, there is no clear historical record of whether Zhang Fang was dispatched. However, in Zhang Kai's statement, he was directly used for his position because of the light curtain incident.
To seize love means that the court is not allowed to observe the funeral according to the etiquette due to official business. Usually happens to border guards. Of course, some ministers who are greedy for power will use this despicable trick to continue to be in power.
But Zhang visit is a different situation. That was because his mourning period was coming to an end and major events occurred around him, so the court had no choice but to use it urgently.
As a result, Zhang Fang took the rank and file of the third squadron and went to Quanzhou to serve as a battalion commander. He was in charge of five hundred forbidden troops, who happened to act as bodyguards for Li Ning.
As for his son Zhang Kai, he followed his father here to broaden his horizons.
I just didn't expect that Li Ning, the logistics manager, would actually rush to the front line.
Only then did Xiao Zhangqi think of coming over to listen, because he didn't even know how he died.
Hearing what he said, Li Ning praised her greatly. Call him a very responsible person in his life.
The Confucian scholars around him looked disdainful, and the little boy was clearly afraid of death.
But Xiao Zhangqi was very happy.
Taking advantage of this excitement, he asked Li Ning: "Am I right?"
"right!"
A scholar next to him deliberately asked him: "Where did that eagle fall?"
Some people followed and shouted: "Is it in the sea or on land?"
"It's Haili!" Xiao Zhangzhen answered without thinking.
"Wrong. There is no such eagle!"
Suddenly there was a burst of hearty laughter outside the door, and then a middle-aged man came.
I saw him walking up to Li Ning, cupping his hands and saying, "In my humble position, I have met Mr. Zhang Fang."
The tails immediately let out a chuckle. Li Ning smiled awkwardly.
"I'm just a top-notch guy, a low-class guy. I can't afford to be treated so politely in my job."
But Zhang Fang smiled and said: "Sir, you don't know something. After the Battle of Gehe, all the ministers in the Privy Council and Mr. Pang all asked for credit for your writing. An official position cannot escape. You only need to go to the capital three times. Banyuan, after submitting the family certificate, you can become an official official."
"Oh I got it."
Zhang Kai on the side saw his father coming here and denying his answer. He couldn't help but curious: "Why do you say there is no such eagle at all?"
Lu Xiaqing, who was behind him, smiled and said: "Because they are all lying. It's just that the things they deceive others into doing are different."
Xiao Zhangqi ate his fingers, obviously not going back to the future.
Li Ning shouted in a low voice: "Uncle Jin, don't talk about these dirty thoughts in front of children."
Lu Xiaqing cursed in her heart: "You really think of yourself as your husband."
But he still said yes verbally: "Yes, sir!"
